West Coast Corporation boss Jackson’s pleased to hear the Hulk seems likely to dismantle Machine Man, and with a pair of “hyper-binoculars” he can watch, from the top of his 80 story skyscraper. As Roger Stern describes ala caption Trish Starr—“free thinker, former model, and hostage---“ musters courage to continue challenging Jackson’s bloodthirsty pleasure. He warps murder into “business efficiency---and advancement!” He recalls Machine Man’s resistance to analysis and replication, chronicled in #8,9 of his series, so his revenge is business. He counters Trish’s question---“do I get ‘recalled’ as well?” ---by complimenting her profiled skills, but now sees the Hulk at a distance, pondering his use in “other...endeavors!” Aaron Stack, a.k.a. Machine Man “cancels the gravity equation!” He soars out of Hulk’s reach, hovering. One thousand pounds of raging fury springs towards him, but MM sends him earthward with a kick! The crash shakes Central City; at “nearby Camp DeSprague” (p...

INCREDIBLE HULK 236 Stern/Buscema/ Esposito, Novak, Sharen, Milgrom, Shooter "Kill or Be Killed!" Let's skip the recap: look, Machine Man's rushing up to the Hulk carrying his detached arm (no King's X jokes about detachable parts, please) and "Kang!"s him in the head with that and a smart aleck remark. Hulk starts working him over with his own arm, but MM's remote circuits do, as he hopes, work. The fist telescopes, wrapping around Hulk's neck, then bashes him flush in his jade kisser. The hand then jolts him with a shock blast to the face, buying him time to get it reattached. (Esposito's keeping the Royer method of inking him to look heavy metal!) Spalding's innocent confusion in turn confuses Freddy, but Pete calls his bluff. Upon handing over the gun, Freddy finds out it's a replica. "You don't think I'd collect real guns, do you?" (Well, hell yes!) Freddy recounts the Machine Man-like figure who appeared...

Hang on ! “Hulk has carried many this way.” About twelve miles past Modesto, Freddy checks the road map for Spalding’s “Central City hang-out.” The Forest Ranger who spots them is working for Jackson, stogie-sporting fat cat and West Coast executive of the worldwide Corporation. Trish Starr asks what Jackson has to gain by kidnapping her; she’s a pawn, he tells her, to bring two foes who’ve interfered with the Corporation destructively together, as the Hulk believes Machine Man’s responsible. This would make the Hulk a murderer, Trish thinks, “...and I’ll be ...what?” Glide with us past the billboard announcing the ‘birthplace of the Fantastic Four’ here in Central City; follow us to the Mariposa hotel, and the silhouette of “a guest so unique---that his very humanity is in question. It’s the sole survivor of the thinking machine secret project, visited now by his friend Dr. Peter Spalding and his recent nemesis, Colonel Simon Kragg---amused and amazed, respectively, to find him ...

INCREDIBLE HULK 235 Roger Stern, Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito Unca Rog really delivers Machine Man straight from Jack Kirby’s book! Oh, there’s a power or two that doesn’t come up but things like the “instant hypnosis” that worked on the Autocron perhaps don’t work on rampaging emerald behemoths? After the first issue set up, there’s a bit of plot advancement but the second issue is a pure super being brawl. The Corporation, from Machine Man #7 & 8, provides the villainy. Anyone recognize Trish Starr? The last name may be familiar to longtime Marvel fans---no, not Ringo, but Elias, the one who can’t keep a beat and invents death devices, Egghead. Trish is the hostage, trying to work the villains while captive. Said captivity’s been perpetuated by an ersatz Machine Man, leading the Hulk and his new friend to Peter Spalding’s door. Sure, I’d love to see her role expanded to reflect even more of that trademark intelligence---it’s referenced---but the real Hulk fan wants a n...

Rom's blow sends Firefall painfully hurtling towards the road ahead of the FBI agent/ Wraiths. Brandy acts: she opens the door on the laser-wielding agent, hit head on by Steve’s car. She wrestles the driver, leadin to a crack-up. Steve rushes to her, and watches as the driver changes: its true form, barely glimpsed, leaves smoldering, foul-smelling dust in its wake. They emerge beside the final confrontation between Rom and Firefall. Now he tells of his friend, Karas, who we see swim and save impetuous, human Rom in the earliest flashback of the series. [IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/nla1cz.jpg[/IMG] To owe one’s life on Galador sacredly links “two individuals as surely as marriage links lovers!” (Well, sometimes! Nowadays marriage has fallen a bit out of style...but you know how old-fashioned Rom is!) Rom and Karas, when the war came, both learned of the forms and powers they would possess before the conversion that grafted their forms to spaceknight steel. “ Manning t...

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #4 [IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/30t199l.jpg[/IMG] Fear is...Firefall! Writer Bill Mantlo Art Sal Buscema Letters Jim Novak Color BobSharon Editor Jo Duffy “The Fire, the Friend, and the Foe!” The West Virginia night steams with the presence of living fire, as two inhuman cyborg warriors clash above. One is Rom of Galador, here to find, reveal, and battle the Dire Wraiths; his opponent is their pawn, the human criminal Archie Stryker. If you’ve been reading along, you know how he’s been set up to battle Rom, seen as a murderer from the stars. What he’s yet to realize is the cost of wielding this spaceknight armor. Its power, Galadorian Living Flame, makes him a potent match for the starborn savior. Airborne opponents clash with strength and powers; the Neutralizer’s effective against the fireball attack, but as Firefall divebombs him again, Rom wonders will he have to break his oath and take a life? The F.B.I. agents from last issue drive without a sound...

All art Steve Ditko! [img]http://i51.tinypic.com/2dgmjjb.jpg[/img] Machine Man battles laser-firing rockets in a maze, which he tests for structural integrity. He uses the weakness in the floor (it’s dirt ground) to spin and become a living drill, to resurface outside. The sonic pitch pains him again, leading him to Khan’s Xanadu in the dark clouds. Machine Man’s been tormented someone he doesn’t know would do this, but now he knows his foe. [img]http://i51.tinypic.com/2sagwtl.jpg[/img] “Steel smashes its way through steel” and our motivated metal marvel shoves his way into the dirigible---and an attack by Tong, who feels no pain due to surgery and possesses super human strength. “Tong has been shown how to temporarily deactivate your internal mechanisms,” Khan raves, before ‘Tong’s rendered Machine Man “unconscious.” [img]http://i54.tinypic.com/148pvgn.jpg[/img] Quickly now he’s thrown on to a table alongside the babbling villain for the mind/ body switcheroo. Machine Man rises ...

This is such a sophisticated layout, I can't help sharing it with you aspiring artists. It's a reason to remember there's always more places to take it---just don't lose enthusiasm! http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=3 is where, if you want, you can find this art work and talk with John Byrne himself.

MACHINE MAN #13 Writer/ Editor Marv Wolfman Artist Steve Ditko Letters Irv Watanabe Colors George Roussos Consulting Editor Jim Shooter “Xanadu!” (Our cover has another building; any of my budding artists willing to try that building under construction?--Uncle Lue) Machine Man’s gotten the shaft: an elevator plunges towards him as his telescoping limbs hold in place before the crushing blow. He works a little classical physics and struggles while being observed on a screen in the chambers of Khan, who's now referred to as Kublai Khan. He and manservant Tong observe Machine Man's stubbornness. He's resourceful, too; he reaches down to the generator engine, taps into it, and creates a repellent magnetic charge. Khan's pleased; he has superior intelligence, he says, but a useless, obese body. Machine Man might become his answer! He checks in on Gregarian, "finest sculptor in Vienna"; Khan honors his warrior pose "best work to date!" wit...

Lue Lyron, after Jack Kirby (not light-boxed) November 19, 2010 Meant to work on layouts. Heh. Got carried away. Inspired by Machine Man #6, 1978.

Joe, I wonder if you'd like to help me co-write a few tips for my young fans on designing and drawing buildings, if you get a few minutes. Anything you can pass along would be a start! Joe Mashburn: Sure, where would you like to start, this is a really broad subject. C Lue Disharoon I'm sure! Maybe start off in two parts...a book or site you recommend...some notes from your own learning process...i'm trying to think of how to apply it to illustration. But you never know: you might launch some kid down the path towards architecture! Tanks. Joe : I would start with "Drawing with the right side of your brain" also "The Old Way of Seeing" . These are great books about design and creativity. Also "The Field Guide to American Houses" is a book about the evolution of houses in Amerca. Two great Institutes are the American Institute of Architects and the AIBD (look at there websites). They help self regulate our profession. They also promote creativity...

Powered by WebRing . This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit Here . So, to start off my layout challenge, I began drawing the shapes in the first two panels. I started adjusting, to deal with the overall page proportions. I actually worked on the last panel last. This process of darkening parts of the figure---to give the figure or object density---is referred to as "spotting blacks." It's the inker's job to fill these areas completely. Here's about twenty minutes devoted to laying out page two of our spread: So you can see it's on there rather lightly. Then I'd come back and give it more definitive form, like the first page!`~ C Lue Lyron

Here you see two different products inspired by Jack Kirby's Machine Man comics published by Marvel Comics between 1977 and 1978. One is Marvel's professional continuation of the science fiction hero in more of a straight super hero treatment, and the action is as close to Spider-Man as possible. Marv Wolfman is also writer and editor of the Amazing Spider-Man at this point in time. His partner here, Steve Ditko, is credited with having created the idea behind many issues of Amazing Spider-Man, and drew the wall-crawler from his first appearance in 1963 until 1966. This is the second time Steve Ditko followed Jack Kirby on a title, counting the Hulk during 1962 to 1965. This character is solely created by Jack Kirby, who deliberately chose to work on titles mostly of his own creation, after stints on a revival of the Black Panther and a run as writer/editor/ artist on his old creation with Joe Simon in 1941, Captain America, and just in time for America's bicentennial. S...

This is a strange story, by Marv Wolfman and Steve Ditko. It's about Machine Man helping out mankind while remaining feared; indeed, one thing after the next vexes him as he observes our criminality and distrust and callousness. He releases a powerful bolt while hovering in the sky, and this discharge drifts into the windows of six people, initiating a biochemical acceleration in their evolutionary state. Now far advance of human kind (perhaps a million years), they take Machine Man down, fighting. They circle him and prepare for judgement---much to his anger and dismay. They hear the voice of a child of a man he's saved just now from an embedded bullet (he was shot during a robbery just stopped by Machine Man in the first pages). He believes in Machine Man's good, even if Machine Man's frustrated and embittered. They release him. Too far advanced for life on Earth, they decide to play silent benefactors, destined to return, to watch over Man. For now, however...

You Know, I don't expect only comic book fans to come read this. The value of any form of literature is what you come away with for your own life. Can disposable entertainment be indisposable? Oh, you bet. http://trueai.blogspot.com/2006/01/part-5-quantum-epiphanies.html Here's what I'm reading of late. Somehow reviewing Machine Man stories gave me a renewed interest in Artificial Intelligence and consciousness in general! Binary Bug’s cloud may be noticed by passersby, but his break-in goes uninterrupted. He glides across the very work floor of Machine Man’s new job, and, it says, taps into Compucord’s RAM to acquire “thousands of information bytes.” $2 dollars, low security: his target’s set. Outside, at a midtown movie house, Aaron complains he doesn’t “get” why “you humans WASTE your time on vicarious entertainment.” Peter S. assures him we can’t self-improve all the time, and vouches for a bit of escapist release, while Aaron notices the strange behavior of a...

Here we have the grid lines drawn again from two point perspective. We're going to lay out several buildings. Click on any photos you need to see full-size! It's alright to make mistakes at this stage. The important things are 1) think of your buildings in relationship to one another 2)keep the lines straight in relation to one another This sketch was drawn to help lay out a similar scene, though with different looking buildings. Remember they have streets between, as you move front to back. I didn't quite nail it,but here you go! Refer back to my first article on "Buildings" listed in the archives for the discussion of how one triangulates the perspective from which the artist's eye works. I roughed out a duplicate of the building on the left to bring in closer to the center of the picture; I'm cropping off the sides of the drawing to fit a much smaller space. (That's also why I folded it!) Feel free to add yourself as a follower of the blog; ...